Device for loosening wheel nuts or lugs of automobile wheels

ABSTRACT

An upstanding rod-like member with a supporting base therefor has a very short collar member slidable thereon for connection thereto at a selected height by a thumb-screw. A rod extends outwardly from the short collar at right angles to the upstanding rod-like member and rotatably engages the hollow bore of a straight socket wrench having sockets on either end thereof. A spanner wrench slips over the socket wrench and engages the socket end adjacent the collar and the long arm of the spanner wrench is used as a lever for loosening and/or tightening wheel nuts or lugs engaged by the socket at the opposite end of the socket wrench.

United States Patent 1191 Fefith 51 Sept. 3, 1974 [54] DEVICE FOR LOOSENING WHEEL NUTS 3,097,550 7/1963 Johnson 81/53 R OR LUGS 0F AUTOMOBILE WHEELS Primary Examiner-James L. Jones Jr. l l [76] Inventor gg z fi g i gissrig i ii i Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Brady, OBoyle & Gates [22] Filed: Sept. 26, 1972 [57] ABSTRACT [21] Appl 292341 An upstanding rod-like member with a supporting base therefor has a very short collar member slidable [30 1 p i Application p i Data thereon for connection thereto at a selected height by Sept 29 1971 Germany 7136849 a thumb-screw. A rod extends outwardly from the short collar at right angles to the upstanding rod-like 52 US. Cl. 81/53 R 81/180 R member and natably engages the hollow of a [51] Int CL B25) 13/00 B251) 21/00 B25b 13/58 straight socket wrench having sockets on either end [58] Field of Search 81/53 180 R 125 1 58 1 there A Spanner wrench Slips Over the Socket wrench and engages the socket end adjacent the collar [56] References Cited and the long arm of the spanner wrench is used as a lever for loosening and/0r tightening wheel nuts or UNITED STATES PATENTS lugs engaged by the socket at the opposite end of the 2,447,919 8/1948 Teigen 81/53 R Socket wrench 2,960,895 11/1960 Richards 81/53 R 3,069,945 12/1962 Shandez 81/53 R 3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures DEVICE FOR LOOSENING WHEEL NUTS OR LUGS OF AUTOMOBILE WHEELS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a device for the loosening of wheel nuts on automobile wheels, making it possible even for physically weak persons to loosen very firmly tightened nuts of automobile wheels and also to again sufficiently tighten these nuts.

It is conventional to employ a four-way brace or wrench for slackening or loosening and tightening the nuts or lugs of automobile wheels wherein the unused arms of this brace are disposed at right angles to the socket wrench employed on one end of the other arm, so as to have the effect of a double lever. It may be possible for skilled personnel to tighten the wheel nuts or lugs sufficiently firmly in this manner, but very often strength and dexterity of an operator are insufficient for loosening frozen wheel nuts or lugs thereby. This is true even more so for weakly persons who are forced to carry out this operation themselves due to tire trouble along a roadside.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention is based on the problem of providing a device for the loosening of wheel nuts and/or lugs on automobile wheels, making it possible even for feeble persons to securely loosen a very firmly tightened wheel nut or lug and to tighten this nut or lug again sufficiently firmly well. This problem is solved, in accordance with the invention, by providing a socket wrench wherein one socket end fits on the nut or lug of an automobile wheel, the other socket end fits into a spanner wrench with a hexagonal socket, and the said socket end of the socket wrench is freely rotatably attached to a laterally projecting pin of a very short pipe section, which latter can be selectively shifted along and affixed to a rod extending upwardly from a base. A spanner wrench in accordance with this invention functions as a handle and makes it possible to utilize the entire body weight for loosening and tightening the nuts or wheel lugs, rather than only the arm muscles; the weight of the body, even in case of a weak person, will always be enough to make a tire change possible for a sole person at any location.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An exemplary embodiment of a device of this invention will be described with reference to the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the tire wrench device according to the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a rearelevational view of the device of FIG. 1, showing the left side of the device of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A short pipe section 3 is connected to be readily slidably movable upwardly and downwardly on vertically disposed pipe or rod l, and maintained at any desired level on the rod 1 by rotating or tightening a hexagon head screw 4 on slide section 3 by hand into engagement with the pipe 1. The length of the vertical rod or pipe 1 corresponds approximately to the diameter of an automobile wheel, with the pipe 1 being provided with a base 2 connected thereto and in the form of an iron plate, or the like. Base 2 may be detachable or integral with pipe or rod 1. A pin 5 is attached to the short pipe section 3, at right angles to the longitudinal axis 6 of the pipe section on the side opposite from the height ad- 5 justing screw 4. The diameter of the pin 5 is selected so that one of the conventional straight socket wrenches 7 can be attached with ample play inside the hollow bore of socket wrench 7. One socket end 8 of the socket wrench 7 is formed with a socket, such as hexagon in shape, and is adapted to encompass with a good fit the standard nuts or lugs of an automobile wheel. The other hexagon-shaped socket end 9 is externally encompassed about its entire circumference by a flat, but strong and long monkey wrench or spanner wrench 10, with little play between the hexagonal opening in wrench l0 and the hexagonal circumference of socket end 9. The hexagon or other shaped, opening in spanner wrench 10 has a sliding fit with the similarly shaped circumference of socket end 9. The spanner Wrench 10 preferably has a length of at least approximately half the length of pipe 1, that is, half the diameter of a wheel or greater. 7

In order to utilize the device according to the invention, the short pipe section 3 is slid along pipe 1 and brought approximately to the level of the nut or lug on the automobile wheel to be loosened, after first loosening the hexagon head screw 4. When pipe section or slide member 3 is at the proper level the screw 4 is slightly tightened by hand so that the short pipe section 3 does not fall down again by itself. Then the socket wrench 7 is pushed onto the pin 5 and thereafter the shaped opening in the long spanner wrench 10 is slidably pushed over the narrow socket end 8 of socket wrench 7 until it is seated on and engaging the similarly circumferentially shaped broad socket end 9 on the opposite end of wrench 7. If the muscle power of the person using the device is insufficient for loosening the wheel nut or lug by means of pushing down or pulling up on the long lever arm of the spanner 10, the person can take a seat, without any muscle strain, simply on the end of the spanner gradually or suddenly; thus, the rod 1 is exposed to once and/or twice the weight of the body, and the spanner l0 exerts such a large torque on the wheel nut or. lug through wrench 7 by means of its long lever arm that a loosening of the nut can be attained with absolute certainty.

Additionally, it is to be noted that even with a very slight tightening of the hexagon head screw 4 against pipe or rod 1, the short pipe section 3 does not, for example, move downwardly under the load of the person using the device, because this load is effective laterally of the pipe 1 and thus exerts a tilting moment on the short pipe section 3 which effects ajarnming or locking of the short pipe section 3 on the pipe 1 and prevents any sliding motion. When the force required for loosening the wheel nut or lug is not exerted on the short pipe section 3, then the latter can be readily adjusted to any desired level after loosening the screw 4, and can also be retained in such position by slightly tightening the hexagonal head of the screw 4. To tighten a wheel nut or lug withthe device of the invention, the device is used in the'sarne manner as for loosening a nut or lug, except that the spanner wrench lever 10 and socket wrench 7 are rotated in the opposite direction, according to normal practice.

The terms and expressions which have been employed herein are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding an equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

1 claim:

1. A device for loosening wheel nuts and lugs of automobile wheels, comprising an upstanding rod member having an uninterrupted surface and a base support, a short collar having a bore slightly greater in diameter than the diameter of said rod member receiving said rod member and providing a small radial space between the bore and rod member whereby said short collar is free to tilt relative to said rod member and is freely selectively shiftable along said rod member, a laterally projecting pin connected stationary with and carried by said short collar, a hollow socket wrench having socket portions at opposite ends and a hollow bore therethrough between said opposite socket portion, the socket portion at one end adapted to engage the nuts and lugs of automobile wheels, the laterally projecting pin extending through the socket portion at the other end and freely rotatably engaging said hollow bore between said opposite socket portions, said laterally projecting pin and hollow socket wrench on one side of said short collar normally tilting said short collar into locking engagement with said upstanding rod member to detachably lock said short collar to said rod member at selected heights, another wrench member having an opening at one end thereof engaged with said socket portion at the other end to rotate said socket wrench relative to said projecting pin, and said another wrench extending at right angles to said socket wrench.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which said socket portion at the other end has a contoured exterior surface, and the opening in said another wrench member having a corresponding contoured surface for slidably engaging the exterior surface of said socket portion at the other end.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which said socket portions at opposite ends of said socket wrench are of different sizes. 

1. A device for loosening wheel nuts and lugs of automobile wheels, comprising an upstanding rod member having an uninterrupted surface and a base support, a short collar having a bore slightly greater in diameter than the diameter of said rod member receiving said rod member and providing a small radial space between the bore and rod member whereby said short collar is free to tilt relative to said rod member and is freely selectively shiftable along said rod member, a laterally projecting pin connected stationary with and carried by said short collar, a hollow socket wrench having socket portions at opposite ends and a hollow bore therethrough between said opposite socket portion, the socket portion at one end adapted to engage the nuts and lugs of automobile wheels, the laterally projecting pin extending through the socket portion at the other end and freely rotatably engaging said hollow bore between said opposite socket portions, said laterally projecting pin and hollow socket wrench on one side of said short collar normally tilting said short collar into locking engagement with said upstanding rod member to detachably lock said short collar to said rod member at selected heights, another wrench member having an opening at one end thereof engaged with said socket portion at the other end to rotate said socket wrench relative to said projecting pin, and said another wrench extending at right angles to said socket wrench.
 2. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which said socket portion at the other end has a contoured exterior surface, and the opening in said another wrench member having a corresponding contoured surface for slidably engaging the exterior surface of said socket portion at the other end.
 3. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which said socket portions at opposite ends of said socket wrench are of different sizes. 